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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29552547">endermen: a creative study</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/echoednonny/pseuds/echoednonny'>echoednonny</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>of endermen and snow [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Minecraft (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Headcanon, I suppose?, Language, Semiotics, The End, Worldbuilding, endermen, idk what to tag this, no one will ever find this work except through the series and that is okay, suggestions for tags are appreciated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 22:54:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,216</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29552547</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/echoednonny/pseuds/echoednonny</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>I have been asked by many people on my “i’m sorry for being what i am” fic for more of my enderman headcanons, with specific requests for more on the ender language. Well guess what? I've caved. Here you go.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>of endermen and snow [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2100597</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>150</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>429</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. pspspsps come get y’all’s juice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I have been asked by many people on my “i’m sorry for being what i am” fic for more of my enderman headcanons, with specific requests for more on the ender language. As a college student literally studying things like linguistics and semiotics, I have spent a lot of my free time daydreaming about language and its effects on our perception of the world, and how that shifts culturally and over different types of communication. Of course, as a fanwriter and a long-time lover of endermen, this has crossed over to those lovely lanky lads.</p><p>Now, this is obviously an intro chapter to let you know this is even happening. I still haven’t quite figured out how I plan on sharing my headcanons on endermen outside of a storytelling format quite yet (I’m not an academic writer, I’m a creative one), but I’m going to do my best to actually give you what I’m saying instead of hinting at it cryptically or brushing over it in favor of chararacter development. Basically I’m saying this is experimental and not to expect too much from me.</p><p>On top of that, however, I would like to invite questions! At any point in this work, if you have a question about a certain part of enderman language or culture or biology or what-have-you, I will endeavor to answer to the best of my abilities! And, if it sparks another thought that tumbles into another into another into another—I might dedicate a chapter of this work to it. So far, we have language, probably focusing on greetings and such because I’ve mostly gotten strong reactions from “stars in your eyes,” as well as a chapter on the soul-song because you all seem to love that and I have accidentally made it very significant in my headcanons.</p><p>Other things on the backburner of my brain that I might touch on: the social heirarchy of endermen (specifically in regard to elders), family structure and dynamics, endermen values like loyalty and neutrality, the dynamic between endermen and the dragon, why endermen usually travel alone but also can travel to all three worlds, hospitality customs, a tad bit of endermen biology, the meanings behind different enderman non-vocab sounds (chirps, trills, etc), and so on and so forth. If any of these sound cool enough to you for their own chapter, hmu in the comments and I’ll try to write out what I think for a chapter!</p><p>Typing this all out, I have come to the realization that I basically made up a culture because of thin block boys and a random roleplaying teen on the internet. Wild.</p><p>So, chapter plan so far:<br/>
1. <s>Intro</s> (done, obviously)<br/>
2. <s>Greetings</s> (title: stars behind your eyes)<br/>
3. <s>Soul-song</s><br/>
4. Interpersonal relations in regards to pronouns<br/>
5. The enderman diet: From dentistry to destination<br/>
6. Elders and their young ones<br/>
7. Pearls<br/>
8. The right place (blocks)<br/>
9. ???</p><p>This list will be updated as I get ideas, so feel free to check it every once and a while!</p><p>For now, I will leave you with this thought: Endermen are naturally herbivores. Discuss.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. stars behind your eyes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>you all were writing essays in my comments on the intro chap and i just. i feel so validated. i am not the only one who creates entire worlds for minecraft mobs. i may have cried once or twice. you are all amazing. i love you.</p><p>here's a little somethin' somethin' just to be like "hey, i've put a chap up!" and to like, get the ball rolling and get some more feedback. there'll be a couple questions in the end notes if you want to help me out.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>First found in chapter three of <i>i’m sorry for being what i am,</i> the phrase “stars behind your eyes” is a formualic term of endearment used by elders towards young enders, generally in reference to their youth, innocence, and inexperience. It is most commonly used as a reassurance that the elders will take care of them and that they don’t need to grow up just yet, as there is nothing more tragic to an elder enderman than children growing up too fast.</p><p>The End, the home of the ender and the oldest of the three linked worlds, has had its stars fade over time, and the few that are left now reside in end crystals. The phrase “stars behind your eyes” more literally is describing the ender child as a young world, a home still bright with undiscovered depths. </p><p>The phrase is so old it has carried over to greetings and farewells. As said by sumnihil in a comment on chapter three of <i>i’m sorry,</i> the phrase “may the stars behind your eyes never fade” would be replied to with “and may yours shine ever brighter,” wishing the other a long life of new discoveries and growth.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>does this style work? are you okay with shorter chapters like this so it's here and not sitting in my docs until i have time to add more? if i were to add more to this idea, would you prefer it as a pt 2 chap or just updated here?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. soul-song</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hey guys! had some time in between classes to type some of my thoughts on soul-songs out, so here you go! enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The soul-song is a tradition as old as the enderman species itself, rooted deeply in their perception of themselves, their interpersonal dynamics with each other, and how they interact with whatever world they reside in. It can most easily be described in the metaphor of a starry night sky, where each individual star is an enderman, and their song is the light they cast off to each other. Oh, sure, they can see each other and hear each other and interact otherwise, but the song is a deeper connection that spans dimensions and time, a sort of collective harmony with <i>all</i> endermen, every one that has lived before and left for every one that will be born after, like stars that have died long ago but whose light still reaches the earth. </p><p>Alongside the inherent connection with the enderman race as a whole, the song also has a deep connection with the empty space <i>between</i> them, the void between stars. Endermen are more closely bound to their environment than most other mobs, which is one of the reasons they naturally spawn in all three dimensions. They are, technically, part of the land itself—the very fabric of reality. The general emptiness of the End has made a sort of vaccum in this sense, which is one of the reasons why the endermen tend to gather there in larger numbers, making it a place where they are the soul of the dimension itself.</p><p>Ultimately, though, the song is a very personal thing. Each individual’s song is unique to themselves, a sort of signiture within the grand collective of the harmony, and is in itself a celebration of <i>being</i> unique amongst the gathering of enderman existence in its entirety. The danger, in this, is that despite how deeply connected they are to general existence and the universe, endermen are still mortal. They’re born rarely, they live ages, but they can be killed or die from old age despite this, and so reaching with your <i>soul,</i> staying hardly tethered to yourself, is dangerous. Generally young ender are accompanied during their first few songs to help keep them grounded in their physical reality, or they risk drifting too far from themselves and getting lost amongst the melody of all endermen who have existed to that point. </p><p>Still, despite the danger, it is also one of the actions that brings the most comfort and focus to an ender, more than nearly anything else besides perhaps putting blocks in their proper place (to be discussed in more detail in a later chapter). It also helps young ender establish their sense of self, where they stand in relation to other ender and in relation to the world they reside in. Resisting the song or being prevented from singing leaves one lost, confused, and conflicted with themselves and those around them. It is generally recommended that young ender sing at least once a week, and elder’s can go as long as three months without feeling negative effects.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><div class="children module" id="children">
  <b class="heading">Works inspired by this one:</b>
  <ul>
    <li>
        <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30558438">He is Loved</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_little_hazy/pseuds/a_little_hazy">a_little_hazy</a>
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